chaotic

adjective

cha·​ot·​ic kā-ˈä-tik 

1

: marked by chaos or being in a state of chaos : completely confused or disordered

a chaotic political race

After he became famous, his life became even more chaotic.

They may look chaotic and barbaric, but scrums are a critical and strategic part of the game, and they unfold and escalate according to hockey's venerated, unwritten rules of engagement.

—David Fleming

To the uninitiated visitor, the seemingly chaotic energy of a typical Thai market may give the impression of a free-for-all, …

—Diane Ruengsom

2

mathematics : having outcomes that can vary widely due to extremely small changes in initial conditions

In other words, what comes out of the program's equations is extremely sensitive to what goes in. And that, as any mathematician would recognize, is one of the hallmarks of chaotic systems.

—Ingrid Wickelgren

A physical system—a weather system, say—is chaotic if a very slight change in initial conditions sends the system off on a very different course.

—Physics Today

chaotically

kā-ˈä-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

a chaotically busy scene

Synonyms

• cluttered
• confused
• disarranged
• disarrayed
• disheveled
• dishevelled
• disordered
• disorderly
• higgledy-piggledy
• hugger-mugger
• jumbled
• littered
• messed
• messy
• muddled
• mussed
• mussy
• pell-mell
• rumpled
• sloppy
• topsy-turvy
• tousled
• tumbled
• unkempt
• untidy
• upside-down

Examples of chaotic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Jackson’s cheeky exploration of coming-of-age in a chaotic world where labels are hard to shake and money is hard to make is both wry and genuine, playful and angsty. —Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2024

Their chaotic shows and calm demeanor are just one dimension of the interplay. —Kat Bein, SPIN, 26 Apr. 2024

In a chaotic housing market, investors are taking a glass half full approach. —Amanda Hoover, WIRED, 26 Apr. 2024

Returning to his home state, Illinois, in a daze, Henry’s head is a chaotic whirl of pain and anxiety and guilt, a state represented by orbs of light carried by other dancers, swarming around him. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Apr. 2024

In particular, Ticketmaster's chaotic sale of Taylor Swift Eras Tour tickets in November 2022 left scores of fans empty-handed and outraged. —Rachel Treisman, NPR, 25 Apr. 2024

Dan, whose dish really intrigued me, presented something the judges deemed a chaotic masterpiece, turning a dessert—funnel cake into a Japanese savory dish. —Buddha Lo, Peoplemag, 25 Apr. 2024

Bring order and serenity to clutter and turn chaotic manuscripts into transparent texts? —Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2024

When Eilish swivels the chair around, the top of her new back tattoo — black chaotic lines that run down her spine — peeks from under her shirt. —Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 24 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1688, in the meaning defined at sense 1